5 Ways to Get Your Teens Ready for the SAT/ACT

Aug 23

For high school parents across the country who are preparing to register their rising juniors and seniors for college entrance exams, it may be a bit frightening to think that what they do over the course of about four hours at a testing center has the power to determine their fate for the next four years. But it doesn’t have to be.

How and what you do to prepare your teen for the SAT/ACT can make all the different in the world in both their test scores, and their reaction to them.

You can be comforted in knowing your child’s ACT/SAT score is just one part of a larger portfolio of work, honors, and accolades the average high schooler will accumulate. At the same time, having a student walk into test day confidently and calmly can and will make all the difference in the world. When they know what expect, and have spent time practicing their test taking skills as well as using a test prep center, the odds of them doing better than a student that is not prepared are extremely high.

Try these five tips to ensure your college bound student experiences test day success.

1. Remind them that it really is just a test

It is comprehensively impossible to develop and quantify 12 years of education into a “test,” and your teenagers need to be reminded of that. Sadly, they may potentially leave the test feeling frustrated and- for the lack of a better word “stupid,” but reassure them that statistically, less than 5% will score perfect (or even close to it.) The perfect test that is able to measure your teen’s whole body of intelligence and potential simply does not exist, and never will.

2. Use those giant test prep books. Really.

Those giant phonebook like test prep book may seem overwhelming, but they hold a wealth of information and resources. Most importantly, they offer practice tests and answer keys with explanations. It’s also a good way to get the feel of a printed test on paper.

Students with test anxiety may benefit from test prep tutoring the most, as they teach a set of test taking skills not normally offered or even talked about in regular school. More importantly, even though the cost of private test tutoring can be pricey, even an increase of one point on a section of the ACT can be the difference between receiving academic merit based scholarship monies. You may even find that most test prep service even guarantee an increase in score. Test taking is truly a skill, and your teen may well benefit from a class that actually teaches it. Better yet, many of these are available online and can be completed in the comfort of your teen’s surroundings, at their own pace, and include videos, apps, and other high tech methods of instruction.

4. Retake, retake, retake

Most colleges will assess no punishment or place any negative connotation on the fact you have decide to retake one of the tests, even if you take it two and three times. Many will even allow for a composite score, meaning you take the best score from each section no matter what day you took them on. Taking the test more than once and having a base score is actually helpful, and can determine which range of colleges you should be looking at, and what kind of score improvement you will need to gain for your reach schools. Finally, did you know you can retake the test while already in college? Ask your financial aid office if a significant increase in score would mean the difference in receiving additional grants and scholarships, and then go ahead and give the test another try.

5. Assemble puzzles and exercise

In the months leading up to test day, one interesting way to prepare for a several hour long session of intense thinking and focusing that the SAT/ACT requires is to practice with puzzles. Spending time working on complex puzzles helps wire your brain to remember how to stay focused with one goal in mind, and to not be swayed by distracting thoughts or daydreams. Puzzles which require logical thinking are a bonus. Another method to boost your brain while at the same time encouraging relaxation is to exercise! Your “lazy” teen may have no interest in going for a long, fast walk with you, but the head clearing and “runner’s high” effect it will have on them may quickly change their mind. Exercise is also proven to give you a more positive outlook on life, and this may help when negative thinking teens who lack test confidence.

Modern high school often places today’s teens under an extreme amount of pressure to excel and succeed, leaving some students unable to even begin to feel they will have time to prepare and have success on the SAT/ACT. Luckily test prep services like TestRocker, and its innovative and highly successful approach to student achievement, are available to ensure students from all backgrounds and educational levels can achieve test day success.

To find out which test is right for your student, the ACT or the SAT, click here.